Ledger tray cabinet



March 18, 1952 A. w. FEIERTAG LEDGER TRAY CABINET 5 Sheets-Shree?. 2

Filed Sept. 20, ,1948

arch 18, 1952 l A. w. FEIERTAG LEDGER TRAY CABINET 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 20, 1948 .F/G. 7 BY m W 744m Patented Mar. 18, 1952 LEDGER TRAY CABINET Arthur W. Feiertag, Athens, Ohio, assignor to The McBee Company, Athens, Ohio, a corporation Application September 20, 1948, Serial No. 50,183

12 Claims. (Cl. S12-290) This invention relates to a cabinet; more particularly to a cabinet for housing a ledger tray.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved form of cabinet for housing ledger trays and the like.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a cabinet for housing a ledger tray which is of simplified design.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a ledger tray cabinet which is simple to operate and which involves a minimum of inechanically operable elements which are likely to become out of adjustment or require repair or replacement.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the ensuing description and the appended claims.

. One form which the invention may assume is exemplified in the following description and illustrated by way ofexample in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken through the cabinet of the invention, showing the lid in closed position and a ledger tray in place within the cabinet.

Fig. 2 is a similar but fragmentary view, with the lid in open position and with the ledger tray removed to reveal more clearly certain of the interior parts.

Fig. 3 is a View, partly in section and partly in front elevation, as viewed along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 but with the apron removed.

Fig. 4 is a section taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 and on a larger scale, showing the details of the means for pivoting the lid of the cabinet. `Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section taken similarly to `that of Fig. 1, but on a larger scale, showing certain other details of the lid structure.

Fig. 6 is a section taken along the line 'li-J6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a section taken along the line 'I-l of Fig. 1 showing certain details of the lid and apron structure.

Fig. 8 is a section taken along the line 8 8 oi Fig. 3 showing details of the lock structure employed to latch the lid in closed position.

Referring now to the drawings, a cabinet I is provided comprising a rear wall 2, a front plate 3, side walls 4, a lid 5, .an apron 6 and a base 1. Casters 8 are also provided. The rear wall, front plate, side walls and base are secured together by any suitable means to provide a sturdy framework. l

A ledger tray I0 is also shown, which is of known construction and need not Vbe described in detail herein. The tray is preferably of the type described and claimed in Welk application, Serial No. 698,688, led September 23, 1946 and now abandoned, entitled Ledger Tray, and it comprises, as its main structural elements, a base I4, side walls I5, a follower IS and a compressor I'I, the follower and compressor being of identical construction and between which papers I8 are filed. The follower I6 is provided with a compressor lever 20, the function of which is to actuate the follower plate 2| as and for the purpose described in the above-mentioned copending application. The compressor I'I is, of course, similarly provided with a compressor lever 20 of the same construction and for the same purpose. Two openings 22 are provided in the base I4 for a purpose described hereinafter, one such opening, as shown in Fig. 1, being disposed at the follower end of the tray and to one side of the center line of the tray. The other opening 22 .(not shown) is disposed at the opposite end of the tray and symmetrically with reference to the center line.

A tray support generally designated as 25 is provided, such support comprising a flat, horizontal plate 26 extending the width and depth of the cabinet and adjustably secured to the cabinet by means of bolts 2I received in bolt holes 21a formed in the side walls 4 of the cabinet. It will be seen that the holes 21a are located at three diiferent levels. It is thus possible to locate the tray support at any one of three levels acfcording to requirements or convenience.

The tray support 25 is provided with appurtenances including a cam plate or deflector 28, tracks 29, a latch 3@ and an apron guide 3|. The delector 28 is secured to the rear end of the tray support by any suitable means, such as welding, and it is provided with an outwardly bulged cam section 32 in alignment with the operating lever 20 of the tray IB. The tracks 29 are disposed on opposite sides of the tray support, being secured thereto by any suitable means, such as welding, being of channel section, and each having a notched forward section 33. The latch 3l! comprises a lever 34 pivotally supported at 35 upon a bracket 36, so that its head 37 normally extends upwardly through an opening 38 formed in the plate 26. The apron guide 3| is welded to the front end of the tray support and includes a pocket section 39 and a Vslanting guide section 40.

The lid 5 and the apron 6 are hingedly connected by means of a hinge 45 and also by means of a bail 46 and bail guide 41, the bail 46 being pivotally secured at 48 to the apron and the bail guide 41 being rigidly secured to the underside of the lid. The apron is also provided with an operating handle 5|. The lid, when in closed position, rests upon lid supports 52 adjustably secured to the side walls of the cabinet by means of screws 53 engaging oblong slots 53a in the lid support 52 (see Fig. 8). The rear end of each lid support 452 is tapered at 54 for a purpose explained hereinafter, and at its forward end each lid support is recessed at 13 and it is also provided with an extension or lug 14 and is shaped to provide an angular end portion 15 and a corner portion 16.

Guide means are provided for the lid and are generally designated as 55, and with a felt pad 56 and a bumper 51 as appurtenances. The bumper 51 is retained by a plate 11 and is held in by a screw 18 so that it will not fall out in shipment or if the cabinet is turned upside down. rIhe guide means 55 includes channel tracks 58 secured to the side walls 4 and complemental keys or pivots 59, which are conveniently in the form of headed screws bolted to the downturned ends or flanges 60 of a bracket 6I, which in turn is adjustably bolted at 62 to brackets 63 secured to the lid. A guide plate 64 having a tapered lower end 64d is welded to the upper end of each track 58, as shown most clearly in Fig. 4. The pad 56 is clamped to the rear wall 2, as by means of a clamping plate 65 and screw 66. 'Ihe bumper 51 is of any suitable resilient material, such as rubber, and is so disposed as to provide a support and a cushion for the lid when in open position. It will be noted that the channels 58 serves as guides for the apron 6. That is, the rearward surfaces of the channels 58 guide the apron 6 when the apron is being inserted into the cabinet to retain the apron and lid in folded condition. The keys or pivots 59 are spaced from the plane of the lid 5 a distance suicient to enable the apron when in folded condition to pass behind the vertical guide 58 when the apron and lid are slid downwardly into the cabinet, and this construction is best shown in Fig. 2.

A lock 1|'lY is also provided, being disposed at one side and at the forward end of the lid and having an arm 1 I. The arm 1I is received within a bracket 12, and the recesses 13 in the lid supports 52 provide Vroom for movement of the arm.

In operation, the cabinet is employed as follows. The lid 5 is opened and closed manually by means of the handle 5l. By grasping the handle and lifting the front end of the lid, the rear end is guided by the guide means 55 so as to pivot the lid through an angle of 90 and to retract it within the cabinet to a position wherein it rests upon the bumper 51. Meanwhile, the bail 45 and bail guide 41 will allow the apron 5 to fold against the lid so that, in open position, it will be retracted within the cabinet. In closing the lid and apron, the handle 5l is grasped and is pulled up until the head of screw 59 limits against or near the top of channel guide 5G. Then the lid can be moved forwardly. When the apron approaches the closed position, it is guided by means of the apron guide 3l to bring it into proper alignment and prevent damage thereto. The pocket section 39 of the apron guide locks the apron in closed position and prevents outward movement thereof. The pad 56 prevents scratching of the lid, and the bumper 51 provides a cushion Vto absorb shock and prevent damage to the lid.

When it is desired to insert a tray in the cablnet, the lid is opened and a tray is inserted. By resting the end of the tray in the notch 33 formed in the tracks 29, insertion of the tray is facilitated. As the tray is pushed inwardly and passes over the latch lever 34, the head 31 thereof is automatically depressed to allow rearward movement of the tray. Should the operating lever 20 of the tray follower i6 be in near horizontal position, the cam surface 32 of the deector 28 will pivot the same to either up or down position. Thus, possible damage to the apron 6 owing to the tray being improperly seated, is avoided.

When it is desired to pull the tray out to posting position, the tray is merely pulled outwardly until the head 31 of the latch 30 engages the rear opening 22 formed in the base of the tray. As stated, two such openings 22 are provided, being at opposite ends of the tray and on opposite sides of the center line thereof. Accordingly, the tray may be inserted from either end and, whichever end has been inserted, an opening 22 is in alignment with the latch lever 34 to function as a limit member. When it is desired to remove the tray completely, such is accomplished readily by reaching under the tray support 25, disengaging the lever 34 and pulling the tray outwardly,

Among other advantageous features of the cabinet of the invention may be mentioned the following. The tray support 25, hence the tray I6, is adjustable by means of the bolts 21 and bolt holes 21a, thus providing means for adjusting the tray height to suit the convenience of the operator. For this purpose, aprons 6 of different length may be provided. The lid 5 is adjustable by reason of the slotted connections 62, to straighten up the lid so as to provide an even clearance at the back and to prevent binding on the sides when closing. The tapered portions 54 of the lid supports allow rapid pivoting of the lid to clear the rear wall of the cabinet, thus necessitating a minimum clearance at the rear of the cabinet. The keys 59 are adjustable sideways of the cabinet, and are preferably adjusted to touch the guide plates 64. A close fit is thus provided when the lid is in closed position, yet ample clearance is provided in open position to prevent binding. Also, by means of keys 59 the clearance between the lid and apron and the sides of the cabinet may be adjusted so as to be even on both sides. The bail 46 and bail guide 41 hold the apron 6 at approximately right angles to the lid 5 when approaching closed position, so as to guide the apron into the apron guide 3|.

Also, the lid supports 52, in addition to supporting the lid, prevent the apron being let down between the sides so as to damage the ledger sheets or tray. The angular portions 15 allow the apron to pass without binding and the corner portions 16 prevent the apron from being pushed in while closing and thus damaging `the tray or tray support, The extensions or lugs 14 prevent inadvertent raising of the rear end of the lid, as when someone leans on the front edge of the lid.

While I have shown the preferred 'form of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in its construction by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A cabinet comprising side walls, a lid, means supporting said lid between said walls when in closed position and an apron hingedly connected to the forward edge of said lid, saidV lid supporting means having forwardly and downwardly sloping forward edges adapted to guide said apron and prevent binding thereof as the lid is opened and closed, said forward edges terminating in bottom corner portions extending forwardly sufficiently to prevent said apron being pushed into the cabinet as said lid is being closed.

. 2. In a device of the class described, a cabinet having side walls, means for closing the top and front of vthe cabinet comprising a lid having laterally extending pivots at the rear thereof, an apron hinged to the front of the lid and foldable against the lid, and opposed vertical guides disposed rearwardly on the side walls receiving the pivots enabling the folded apron and lid to be slid downwardly into the cabinet, the pivots being spaced from the plane of the lid av distance `suiiicient to enable the apron when in folded condition to pass behind the vertical guides when the apron and lid are slid downwardly into the cabinet.

3. In a device of the class described, a cabinet having side walls, means for closing the top and front of the cabinet comprising a lid having laterally extending pivots at the rear thereof, an apron hinged to the front of the lid and foldable against the lid, opposed vertical guides disposed rearwardly on the side walls receiving the pivots enabling the folded apron and lid to be slid downwardly into the cabinet, the pivots being spaced from the plane of the lid a distance sufcient to enable the apron when in folded condition to pass behind the vertical guide when the apron and lid are slid downwardly into the cabinet, and stop members on the side walls of the cabinet preventing entry of the apron into the front or top of the cabinet during opening and closing of the cabinet.

4. In a device of the class described, a cabinet having side walls, means for closing the top and front of the cabinet comprising a lid having laterally extending pivots at the rear thereof, an apron hinged to the front of the lid and foldable against the lid, opposed vertical guides disposed rearwardly on the side walls receiving the pivots enabling the folded apron and lid to be slid downwardly into the cabinet, the pivots being spaced from the plane of the lid a distance sufcient to enable the apron when in folded condition to pass behind the vertical guide when the apron and lid are slid downwardly into the cabinet, means for limiting unfolding movement of the -apron relative to the lid to approximately 90,

andmeans on the front of the cabinet engaged by the apron during closing movement thereof and guiding the apron into completely closed position, said pivots being laterally adjustable to permit lateral adjustment of the lid and apron relative to the side walls.

5. In a device of the class described, a cabinet having side walls, means for closing the top and front of the cabinet comprising a lid having laterally extending pivots at the rear thereof, an apron hinged to the front of the lid and foldable against the lid, opposed vertical guides disposed rearwardly on the side walls receiving the pivots enabling the folded apron and lid to be slid downwardly into the cabinet, the pivots being spaced from the plane of the lid a distance sufficient to enable the apron when in folded condition to pass behind the vertical guide when the apron and lid are slid downwardly into the cabinet, and

6 a yieldable bumper in the cabinet engageable by the lid when the lid is inserted into the cabinet to yieldably support the lid.

6. In a device of the class described, a cabinet and lid are withdrawn from the cabinet during a closing operation.

7. In a device of the class described, a cabinet having side walls, means for closing the top and front of the cabinet comprising a lid having laterally extending pivots at the rear thereof, an apron hinged to the front of the lid and foldable against the lid, and opposed vertical guides disposed rearwardly on the side Walls receiving the pivots enabling the folded apron and lid to be slid downwardly into the cabinet.

8. In a device of the class described, a cabinet having side walls, means for closing the top and front of the cabinet comprising a lid having laterally extending pivots at the rear thereof, an apron hinged to the front of the lid and foldable against the lid, opposed vertical guides disposed rearwardly on the side walls receiving the pivots enabling the folded apron and lid to be slid downwardly into the cabinet, and a yieldable stop rearwardly of the guides and adjacent the top of the cabinet engageable by the lid and serving to guide the lid when the lid is being inserted into the cabinet.

9. In a device of the class described, a cabinet having side walls, means for closing the top and front of the cabinet comprising a lid having laterally extending pivots at the rear thereof, an apron hinged to the front of the lid and foldable against the lid, opposed vertical guides disposed rearwardly on the side walls receiving the pivots enabling the folded apron and lid to be slid downwardly into the cabinet, and a handle on the forward side of the apron adjacent the top thereof accessible from the front of the cabinet when the apron and lid are folded and contained within the cabinet to enable withdrawal of the apron and lid by a person standing at the front of the cabinet.

10. In a device of the class described, a cabinet having side walls, means for closing the top and front of the cabinet comprising a lid having laterally extending pivots at the rear thereof, an apron hinged to the front of the lid and foldable against the lid, and opposed vertical guides disposed rearwardly on the side walls receiving the pivots enabling the folded apron and lid to be slid downwardly into the cabinet, the surfaces defining the bottoms of the guides being separated by a greater distance at the lower portions of the guides than at the upper portions whereby the ends of the pivots are more closely contained when the cabinet is in closed condition to more accurately position the apron and lid with respect to the side walls, yet easy movement between the pivots and guides is permitted when the pivots are in the lower portions of the guides.

11. In a device of the class described, a cabinet having side walls, means for closing the top and front of the cabinet comprising a lid having laterally extending pivots at the rear thereof, an apron hinged to the front of the lid and fold.- able against the lid, opposed vertical guides disposed rearwardly on the side walls receiving the pivots enabling the folded apron and lid to be slid downwardly into the cabinet, and means for restricting lateral movement of the lid and apron to a greater extent when the lid and apron are in closed position than when the lid and apron are in open position whereby the lid and apron are accurately positioned with respect to the side Walls when in closed position,

12. In a device of the class described, a cabinet having side walls, means for closing the top and front of the cabinet comprising a lid having laterally extending pivots at the rear thereof, an apron hinged to the front of the lid and Ifoldable against the lid, opposed vertical guides on the side walls adjacent the rear thereof receiving the pivots enabling the folded apron and lid to be slid downwardly into the cabinet, and vertical guides for guiding the apron when the apron and lid are slid downwardly or withdrawn from the vcabinet to retain the apron and lid in folded condition during withdrawal or insertion.

ARTHUR W. FEIERTAG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

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